It was a stunning play that deserved to be celebrated with all the appropriate fanfare.
Canada’s Jessie Fleming delivered a brilliant pass through a crowded pitch inside Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne. The ball was perfectly placed into the open space in front of forward Evelyne Viens, who had just come onto the field. All it took was one touch at the right angle for Viens to drill the ball past New Zealand’s goalkeeper, giving Canada a well-deserved lead in their opening match of the Paris Olympic Games.
The 79th-minute goal helped Canada to win their first game of the tournament, a positive first step on what they hope will be the path to repeating the gold medal success they enjoyed in Tokyo at the 2021 Games.
The assist coming from 26-year-old Fleming, who has filled the captaincy vacancy left behind by Canadian great Christine Sinclair, was a symbolic demonstration that this new generation is willing to carry the torch towards a new chapter for her national team.
But Thursday’s 2-1 victory, and any subsequent success in Paris, will be remembered with an ugly footnote due to a cheating scandal that erupted days earlier. It involved a Canadian soccer analyst twice using a drone to spy on New Zealand before their opening clash, led to the Canada women’s head…
